The present invention relates generally to the field of can flattening devices and specifically to a can flattening device which sequentially crimps and folds cans and which is able to accommodate cans of varying lengths.
Increased recycling of used aluminum beverage cans in recent years has made can collection a profitable pastime for many people. A mechanical device for flattening collected cans would be advantageous since a flattened can will occupy one third or less of the total volume of the unflattened can.
Various can flattening, crushing, and folding devices are shown in the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 2,466,907 to Nadolny shows a can crusher, apparently for soup cans and the like, which crushes the can in one step. U.S. Pat. No. 2,603,270 to Voigt shows a can crusher which uses a complicated power arm arrangement to achieve a mechanical advantage in a one step crushing operation. U.S. Pat. No. 2,905,079 to Brock shows a two step crushing operation, the first step of which punctures the opposing ends of the can. There is no crimping station and the can is not first crimped prior to folding. U.S. Pat. No. 3,853,054 to Jacobsen shows a two step folder which has a surface with teeth for puncturing and flattening the can and another surface with ridges for folding the can. A central lever is pivotally arranged between the two working surfaces. The can is first flattened, then folded at an angle, then flattened again. U.S. Pat. No. 3,948,164 to Pobuda shows a device with a curved upper surface and cutting blades which pierce the can during the flattening operation. The device does not employ sequential crimping and folding.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,058,054 to Markman shows a can folder and flattener having a base and pivotal lever, the lever having a flattening block and a reversible folding block to accommodate cans of different lengths. A pin is provided to position the can during folding. The flattening anvil of the Markman device is a flat surface.
Prior devices have tended to be large and bulky and not well adapted for use in locations in the home, such as on a kitchen counter. Certain of the prior designs have required massive force for operation since the can was crushed in a single step. The operation of such devices could, on occasion, be hazardous to the operator and, because of the force required, was beyond the physical capacity of some persons. Other prior designs were prohibitively expensive to manufacture and overly complicated. Certain of the prior designs had to be fastened down to work.
A need exists therefore, for a can flattening device which is simple in design and inexpensive to manufacture, which is of a convenient size to be used and stored in the home, and which can be operated with a minimum of physical effort.